Suction cleaner floor tool



c. A` lBROCK 2,706,826

April 26, 1955 sUc'rIoN CLEANER FLOOR TooL 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 4, 1949 //H L? El. /6-3 April 26, 1955 c. A. BRQCK 2,706,826

SUCTION CLEANER FLOOR TOOL Filed Oct. 4. 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR. C'd/e//ce /Z Brac/.

United States Patent O SUCTION CLEANER FLOOR TOOL Clarence A. Brock, Toledo, Ohio, assgnor to Martin- Parry Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application October 4, 1949, Serial No. 119,414

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-368) This invention relates to improvements in suction oor tools for vacuum cleaners.

It is generally recognized that dog hairs, threads and ne lint adhere to rug bristles and are diflicult to separate from the bristles, so that they may be picked up and removed by the ordinary suction cleaner oor tool. According to the present invention, an improved oor tool is provided in which a brush is mounted in the oor tool body well to the rear of the suction opening, and so disposed that in the forward movement of the door tool the foreign materials such as dog hairs, thread and lint are separated from the rug bristles and may readily be picked up as the suction opening of the floor tool passes over the rug. The brush is so mounted that upon the rearward movement of the door tool the bristles of the brush may flare out and drop the litter on the backward stroke.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide an improved oor tool of the type mentioned in which the brush is loosely mounted in the body of the floor tool adjacent a rear backing wall, so that upon forward movement of the floor tool the bristles of the brush are backed up and eficiently separate the foreign material from the rug.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved floor tool in which separate suction and brush chambers are provided, and in which the bottom edges of the chambers are angularly disposed with respect to each other so that the floor tool may be tilted as it is moved forward and backward. In other words, the oor tool is tilted back and down to engage the brush for cleaning up stubborn surface litter. In this tilted position of the iioor tool, the brush agitates the litter on the forward stroke and releases the litter on the return stroke. During this return stroke, the suction chamber is drawn over the surface litter to pick it up.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, the drawings relating thereto, and from the claims hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, in which like numerals are used to designate like parts in the several views throughout:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a vacuum Hoor tool embodying features of the present invention, with parts broken away, and showing parts in cross section;

Fig. 2 is a rear, elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially along the line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the floor tool in a different, tilted position;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the structure shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is a partial, elevational view, taken substantially along the line 6 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially along the line 7 7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially along the line 8 8 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view, similar to Fig. 3, and showing a modified construction.

Referring to the drawings, a suction floor tool is illustrated which comprises a body portion, generally indicated at 1. The body portion 1 is preferably an aluminum casting, and is formed to provide the walls, passages and chambers which will hereinafter be described. The body 1 has a transversely extending front wall 2, and a rear wall 3, with side wall portions 4 and 5 at each side. The front wall 2 and rear wall 3 join with a cylindrical tubular socket 6 which extends into the body and into com- ICC munication with the suction inlet. The axis of the socket 6 is preferably disposed at an angle of aproximately 15 to the horizontal, and this angle reduces kicking-up at the heel of the tool when the wand connected to the socket is rolled to left or right. The usual wand 7 is removably connected to the socket 6 by a bayonet lock. Such lock comprises an annular internal groove 8 formed in the socket 6 and communicating with the edge through slots 9. The wand has complementary protuberances 10 which engage in slots 9 and by inserting the wand to its innermost position, the protuberances engage the groove 8 by relative, rotative movement between the body 1 and the wand 7.

A transversely extending suction opening 11 is formed in the body 1, and such opening 11 is defined by the front wall 2, side walls 5, and a common wall 12, which separate the suction chamber and the brush chamber. The body is also formed with a forwardly projecting and transversely extending projection 13 along its forward edge. Passageways 14 are formed in the under surface of the projection extending to each of the front corners, and communicate at the rear with the transverse suction passageway 11, so that the tool will pick up dust along the edges and in the corners of a room.

A rubber bumper assembly comprising a metal plate 15 having a rubber cover 16 is secured to the top of the projection 13 by means of screws 17. The rubber bumper 16 projects beyond the edges of the tool, and prevents damage to furniture and the like.

The brush chamber is defined by the rear wall 3, the side walls 4, and the common wall 12. A transversely extending brush 1S is mounted in the brush chamber adjacent the rear wall 3. The brush 18 comprises bristles mounted in a sheet metal holder 19, and the holder, together with the bristles, is loosely mounted within a mounting member 20. The mounting member 20 is a stamping having instruck tabs 21 at the ends thereof, and the tabs 21 are adapted to engage under the stamping 19, as shown in Fig. 6.

The member 20 has upwardly directed tabs 21 at spaced points therealong, and such tabs have tapped openings 22 formed therein. The brush assembly, together with the mounting member 20, are adapted to be mounted on the rear wall 3 for vertical adjustment with respect thereto. In order to provide for such vertical adjustment, angularly disposed slots 23 are formed in the rear wall 3, and thumb screws 24 are disposed through the slots 23 and threaded into the tapped openings 22 in the tabs 21. By properly positioning the tapped openings With respect to the slots 23, and tightening the thumb screws 24, the brush assembly may be mounted in the desired vertical position with respect to the bottom edge of the rear wall 3.

Vent openings 25 are formed in the side walls 4. The vent openings 25 and the exposed openings through the slots 23 are such that the brush chamber is vented to the atmosphere so that suction conditions do not prevail in this chamber.

Comparing Figs. 3 and 4, it will be noted that the bottom edge of the side walls 5 and the bottom surface of the projection 13 are substantially horizontal, and in engagement with the floor line when the tool is in a position shown in Fig. 3. The bottom edge of the side walls 4 are at an upwardly directed angle with respect to the bottom edges of the sides 4 and 5 and the bottom edge of rear wall 3 is raised above the iloor line, as shown in Fig. 3. The bottom edge of the common wall 12 serves as a pivot edge as the tool is tilted between the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the rear wall 3 is tilted downwardly so that the bristles 18 are in good engagement with the carpet for forward movement of the tool. Also, during such forward movement the bristles 18 are backed up by the rear wall 3 so that an eflicient brushing action takes place.

The transverse suction opening 11 communicates with a suction passageway 26 which, in turn, communicates with the passageway through the wand 7 and the passageway within socket 6.

In the operation of the above-described oor tool, the wand 7 is connected in the usual way through a flexible conduit with a suction vacuum cleaner. In the forward movement of the oor tool, the wand 7 is tilted to the position shown in Fig. 4, so that the brush bristles 18 engage the Hoor and are backed up by the wall 3. During this forward mvement of the oor tool, any dog hairs or the like are loosened from the carpet fibres. Upon rearward movement of the floor tool, it is tilted to the position shown in Fig. 3 so that the suction openings are against the carpet, and loosened foreign materials are picked up and 'discharged through the wand. In this movement the brush assembly, which is loosely held by the tabs 21, is free for a limited forward movement, and this allows the bristles to flare out and drop the litter on the backward stroke.

The brush chamber and the suction chamber are separated from each other by the common wall 12, thc bottom edge of which acts as the pivot line for tilting the floor tool between the two operating positions.

In Fig. 9, a modied construction is shown in which a notch 30 is provided in the bottom edge of the side walls of suction chamber 5 so as to pick up dust along a baseboard or the like. Such a notch may be used either with or without the corner pickup passageways 14.

Formal changes may be made in the specic embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a suction cleaner oor tool, a transversely elongated body member having a downwardly opening suction chamber formed across the front thereof, a suction passage formed in the body member and communicating with said suction chamber, a separate brush chamber formed across the back of said suction chamber, a transversely extending brush in said brush chamber immediately adjacent the rear wall thereof, a holder for said brush, a mounting member having a portion partially surrounding said brush holder, a plurality of tabs on said mounting member engageable with the underside of said brush holder, the brush holder being loosely held by said mounting member and tabs, a securing tab on said mounting member extending upwardly therefrom adjacent the rear wall of said brush chamber, an angularly disposed slot formed in said rear wall adjacent said tab, and a fastener extending through said slot and engageable with said securing tab, whereby the height of said mounting member may be adjusted.

2. In a suction cleaner floor tool, a transversely elongated body member, a downwardly opening suction chamber formed across the front of said body member, a downwardly opening brush chamber formed in said body member rearwardly of said suction chamber, a brush mounted in said brush chamber, the bottom edges of said suction chamber and said brush chamber each being in a plane, said planes being angularly related, side walls for said brush and suction chambers, a common wall for said brush and suction chambers extending between said side walls, the entire lower edge of said common wall between said side walls comprising a straight line at the intersection of said planes, a oor bearing surface portion on said body member extending forwardly of said suction chamber, said surface portion being in the same plane as said suction chamber bottom edge and having a pair of corners at the forward edge thereof, and a pair of passageways formed in the bottom of said body member, said passageways communicating with said suction chamber and extending forwardly to said pair of corners.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,753,799 Martinet Apr. 8, 1930 2,109,621 Kirby Mar. 1, 1938 2,153,457 Fechtenburg Apr. 4, 1939 2,249,463 Dunbar July 15, 1941 2,310,554 Seyfried Feb. 9, 1943 2,348,082 Lofgren May 2, 1944 2,495,875 Taylor Jan. 31, 1950 2,682,682 Lewyt et al ..2 July 6, 1954 

